I was in this theism forum and I happen to mention that the Bible is such an ordinary document, nothing special about it. A Christian told me it is the best seller in the world on a yearly basis. I replied that the quran is also a best seller, that must prove that the god of the quran must be real too.

But then I read on the web that the quran is spread by coersion and Christianity not.

Does the Bible simply have a catchy story, or is it spread by subtle coersion. Or does it spread because there is a holy spirit?

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The Qu'ran is spread by coercion? Look man, I hate Islam and think it is evil, but this statement sounds so nebulous that it can't even be assessed for truth or falsehood. I have no doubt that millions of copies of the Qu'ran are sold yearly. I expect the number to be smaller than that of the Bible simply because there are half as many Muslims as Christians. But it's a very widely read text.

As for the Bible being catchy, that's very subjective. As a fan of ancient literature I find the Old Testament very interesting. The New Testament is, IMHO, of inferior literary quality, and even evangelical scholars will tell you that Mark is written in objectively bad Greek. I suspect most people buy the Bible because they believe in Jesus, not because the story of Jesus is entertaining or profound.

The Qu'ran is spread by coercion? Look man, I hate Islam and think it is evil, but this statement sounds so nebulous that it can't even be assessed for truth or falsehood. I have no doubt that millions of copies of the Qu'ran are sold yearly. I expect the number to be smaller than that of the Bible simply because there are half as many Muslims as Christians. But it's a very widely read text.

As for the Bible being catchy, that's very subjective. As a fan of ancient literature I find the Old Testament very interesting. The New Testament is, IMHO, of inferior literary quality, and even evangelical scholars will tell you that Mark is written in objectively bad Greek. I suspect most people buy the Bible because they believe in Jesus, not because the story of Jesus is entertaining or profound.

Thank you Bhim! That makes me feel much better.

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I've heard that the often quoted stat of the bible being the best selling book is not giving the whole picture. It is not the regular public who buy it in vast enough numbers but rather church groups that buy bulk to give away. For example groups like the gideons buy large quantities and donate them to hotels. I believe if you actually compare the number of people who open their wallet and choose to purchase a copy then it is out sold most years by the top fiction novels.

I was in this theism forum and I happen to mention that the Bible is such an ordinary document, nothing special about it. A Christian told me it is the best seller in the world on a yearly basis. I replied that the quran is also a best seller, that must prove that the god of the quran must be real too.

But then I read on the web that the quran is spread by coersion and Christianity not.

Does the Bible simply have a catchy story, or is it spread by subtle coersion. Or does it spread because there is a holy spirit?

It spreads because people need a cheap source of toilet paper. He he he, no, I wouldn't really know why it would be a best seller, if that's even true.

But then I read on the web that the quran is spread by coersion and Christianity not.

A study of early Christianity would help here.

In the early days it was a fledgling cult that competed with other religions. It grew more powerful, but received its big break when Emperor Constantine adopted the new religion and made it the state religion. The Christians then systematically destroyed other religious centers and built churches over their shrines. In many countries it was convert or die. Also in many countries was the penalty of death if you denied God existed or the trinity.

That's very brief, but the claim that it was spread only by peaceful means and the holy spirit is not only wrong, someone say so is either ignorant or intentionally deceptive.

In the early days it was a fledgling cult that competed with other religions. It grew more powerful, but received its big break when Emperor Constantine adopted the new religion and made it the state religion. The Christians then systematically destroyed other religious centers and built churches over their shrines. In many countries it was convert or die. Also in many countries was the penalty of death if you denied God existed or the trinity.

That's very brief, but the claim that it was spread only by peaceful means and the holy spirit is not only wrong, someone say so is either ignorant or intentionally deceptive.

This is what happens when you're told Christianity is the religion of peace and you wear blinders because you have to, and aren't allowed looking at evidence to the contrary. And told that if there was someone spreading Christianity through coersion, they weren't True Christians.

I was in this theism forum and I happen to mention that the Bible is such an ordinary document, nothing special about it. A Christian told me it is the best seller in the world on a yearly basis. I replied that the quran is also a best seller, that must prove that the god of the quran must be real too.

But then I read on the web that the quran is spread by coersion and Christianity not.

Does the Bible simply have a catchy story, or is it spread by subtle coersion. Or does it spread because there is a holy spirit?

I think a lot of people buy the bible simply because it's called the 'good book', and therefore they think its something worthwhile to have on the bookshelf. They dont necessarily read the thing cover to cover. I grew up in a fundamentalist household with at least 8 bibles and none of us kids really read it. You know, its the same thing with going to church. It's admired in society. Few people really pause to think over how good or bad going to church is, but certainly if you asked the average citizen on the street they would tell you going to church is a positive thing because that's the accepted thing in society. I think only atheists have more negative opinions on the subject.

I've heard that the often quoted stat of the bible being the best selling book is not giving the whole picture. It is not the regular public who buy it in vast enough numbers but rather church groups that buy bulk to give away. For example groups like the gideons buy large quantities and donate them to hotels. I believe if you actually compare the number of people who open their wallet and choose to purchase a copy then it is out sold most years by the top fiction novels.

Heh, yes I wouldn't be surprised if that's true. FWIW the Guiness Book of World Records does state that the Bible is the world's best seller, albeit with some qualifications:

The problem here is that "best seller" is an ill-defined term. We usually think of best sellers as books rated by the New York Times. The Bible long predates this, and was being read at a time when "selling" books didn't mean what it means today. I think it's best to say instead that the Bible is one of the most (perhaps the most?) wide-ready and influential book in Western history. That much is obvious. The question is: does influence impart credibility?

As has been stated already, the Qu'ran is similarly influential. In the East, the Hindu Scriptures have a similar stature. Anyone who would lend credibility to the Bible because if its influence must also contend with these "runners up" for best seller.